The SEO Basics Every Content Creator Should Know

Search Engine Optimizations helps you rank higher in the search engines. By putting certain works in certain places, you can push your videos higher in YouTube’s search results.

You don’t need a lot of experience in video marketing to start using SEO. As a content creator, you can start with the basics to discover what works best for your channel.

Choose popular but specific keywords.

Look at the videos from the most popular creators in your niche. What words appear in their titles often? What about in their video descriptions? On their social media?

Make a list of these words. Then, search them on YouTube. Which results best match the vision you have for your channel? These are your keywords.

The keywords you choose form the backbone of your channel’s SEO. You’ll build your content, titles, and descriptions around them. Therefore, they should be the kinds of things viewers often search for, but they should also be specific enough to point these viewers directly to your channel.

For example, Glam & Gore is a makeup channel. Creator Mykie uses popular beauty vlogging keywords like “tutorial” and “glam.” However, because her channel is specifically a special effects makeup channel, she also uses keywords like “SFX” and “haunted.”

Keep your titles short and clickable.

Lots of YouTube views come from mobile users. Unlike desktop users, those on mobile may not be able to see your entire video title. So, you need to catch their attention with the first few words.

Keep your titles short and clickable. Put your keywords as close to the beginning as you can. Make your titles descriptive but to the point.

Look at BuzzFeed’s channel for a lot of good title examples. Their video titles are almost always sort yet attention-grabbing.

Utilize your video description.

When it comes to SEO, your video description is one of your most powerful tools. Here, you can pack way more keywords than anywhere else.

In the description of every video, write a detailed summary. You can add an extra paragraph or two at the bottom describing your channel in general. In that section, use keywords that relate to your overall content instead of the specific video.

Add your own captions.

Not only are captions helpful for many viewers, but they also give you a lot more untapped SEO space. Search engines can only analyze text, so your actual video content doesn’t contribute to SEO. However, captions do.

YouTube allows you to upload your own captions, which is much better than relying on the automated captions. Follow this tutorial to write your captions and upload them correctly.

Don’t just copy and paste to different platforms.

SEO also comes into play when you’re promoting your videos on different social media platforms. Instead of copying and pasting the same message, change the text to match the platform.

For example, a tweet will be shorter than an Instagram caption or a Facebook post. You may change your tone or use different keywords depending on the nature of your audience on each platform.

Before you post, look at the trending topics on each platform. If there are any you can use to promote your videos, include that hashtag or phrase in your post.

SEO boils down to having the right keywords in as many places as possible. Keep your video titles short but your descriptions and captions keyword-rich.

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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.